


no joy in sadness

by ayebydan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 17:32:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13506420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayebydan/pseuds/ayebydan
Summary: After Hufflepuff's win over Gryffindor in the storm and Dementor panic Cedric receives a letter of congratulations from his father and is far from happy about it.





	no joy in sadness

Cedric does not inform his father of the game against Harry but Amos finds out anyway. The parchment explodes out of the envelope as the charm wares off and the two roles curl up into Cedric's hands to the alarm of his dorm-mates. His owl turns questioning eyes on him and then steals his breakfast before flying off and as more of his friends start to ask if he is in trouble he shoves the scrolls in his bag, grabs a roll and square sausage and flees. He knows fine well what the scrolls will contain and that is precisely why he would rather set them on fire than read them but he has too much respect for his father for that. Or his mother at least. 

The morning air bites at his cheeks so he takes a moment to sit on a low wall near the castle doors and fumble in his bag for his scarf. The scrolls tumble to the floor and Cedric can't repress a snort when he notices the mud across one edge as he retrieves them. Glancing around he notices a few older Ravenclaws in a suspicious huddle and smoke rising from between them. Frankly, he cannot be bothered with causing them trouble over a stolen smoke. The Dementors are just about visible down by the gates and if a few cigarettes are how the Claws are coping then Cedric has nothing to say about it. Instead he returns to his scrolls and starts to unravel them. 

Scowling he takes in the words from his father. Amos is clearly thrilled that Cedric and Hufflepuff beat Harry Potter and Gryffindor at Quidditch. The arrogance all but lifts off the page. There is what appears to be an attempt at a blow by blow of the game which is fascinating considering Amos was never there. He wonders where he has got his information from and feels a stirring of anger in his stomach. He certainly feels no satisfaction for snatching a victory from a person relieving their worst nightmares and then plummeting to the ground only to be saved by quick wandwork from their headmaster. 

There are rumours about what Harry Potter sees and hears when those creatures get near him and the reality is that the murder of his parents and You-Know-Who's presence is so normal a suggestion given what the Hogwarts rumour mill is capable of that Cedric finds it the most likely. And that turns his stomach. He doesn't want his father to take pride in that victory. He wants to give all the house-points back. He wants to banish the dementors from the school and face Harry fairly. Further reading shows his father wants to reward him for his win and send him a gift and that is the point where Cedric disregards reading any more of it and sets it on fire instead.

None of his other victories had warranted any sort of gift. 

Cedric can see the sort of man his father is now and has no desire to become anything like him. No, he will do better.


End file.
